Elizabeth Olsen’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been interesting, to say the least. For every bright moment, Olsen’s Scarlet Witch has been dragged to the darkest depths. So her becoming a central figure in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is well deserved after the events of WandaVision. But apparently, all the action she’s seen in countless Marvel projects didn’t prepare her for a recent change in the MCU, as Olsen revealed the biggest surprise the cinematic universe has thrown at her.
Wanda Maximoff has seen loss through the death of her brother, Pietro, and the murder of Vision at the hands of Thanos. And in the meantime, she's also been an Avenger and a fugitive from justice. But despite all of this, it was Wanda's role in WandaVision that truly caught Elizabeth Olsen by surprise. Here's what the actress had to say:
Getting to do WandaVision. It was a huge surprise to get to be so challenged by a Marvel sitcom. I mean, they are challenging, technically, for lots of reasons, but this was challenging from every perspective. Doing that show really woke up my body to all different parts of my training as an actor and made me feel like I could utilize so many tools that other projects don’t utilize. And I just loved it.
Being part of Marvel Studios' first TV project would be a curveball for anyone, especially for an actress who's played an MCU supporting character for so long. But luckily, the format and concept gave Elizabeth Olsen the chance to show her range as an actress. And ultimately, being that malleable as a performer is what led to her recent Emmy nomination, despite some criticism regarding her character's arc. All in all, Olsen's insight into her process gives fans a peek into the demanding work that comes with being a television star, in addition to being a Marvel actor. Still, actually being a part of WandaVision wasn’t the only thing that caught her by surprise.
While being interviewed by The New York Times, Elizabeth Olsen also revealed that WandaVision’s popularity took her by surprise. The actress explained that she overseas working on a project (more than likely Doctor Strange 2) when the show was taking the internet by storm. Being in a bubble kept the actress from experiencing the moment, she's still feeling the effects via the positive comments present online.
Elizabeth Olsen’s candor is refreshing, as she seems to be more than aware of how impactful social media can be on a show or film’s fate, despite not being on social media herself. But still, these are definitely the kinds of things you like to hear when it comes to social media.
In a feat that's pretty impressive for the debut MCU TV series, WandaVision scored 28 Emmy nominations this year. As for Elizabeth Olsen, she has more projects on the horizon, after the success of the Disney+ series. If you want to relive Wanda Maximoff’s sitcom world again, you can stream every episode of WandaVision on Disney+ now.
